Why waiting for appliance repairs will take weeks

ROCHESTER, N.Y. - Dishwasher on the fritz? It may take a bit longer until it's working again.

People are home more because of the pandemic and are putting their appliances through their paces.

"We don't think about them until they break. We just use them and when they break, all of a sudden, the world is broken," said Jeff Miceli, owner of Appliance Tec in Rochester.

As a result, repair technicians are busier than ever.In almost 20 years in the industry, Miceli says he has never seen this kind of demand.

Prior to COVID, customers would normally wait two or three days for a technician to come. Now, the wait is one-and-a-half weeks, he said.

Another factor behind the long wait time? Factories in COVID-19 clusters across the Midwest face staff shortages and less work hours, producing fewer products.Customers could be waiting months for parts or a new appliances.

"It puts pressure on a system that’s not accustomed to such high spikes. They are used to a certain degree of variability, just not like this," said Steven Carnovale, a professor of supply chain management at Rochester Institute of Technology.

The Appliance Tec team has seven technicians. Miceli says finding skilled technicians is harder now than it was 20 years ago.

"It’s not your grandfather’s washing machine anymore. These machines are a lot more complex than you expect with lots of circuit boards, sensors. Now, they’re connected to the internet," he said.

Carnovale advises customers to stay calm as they wait for the technician to show and parts to come in. Similar to food and paper product shortages in the beginning of the pandemic, manufacturers are learning to adapt.

"I think once we get through the holiday season and behavior starts to normalize in terms of purchasing, you'll see some stability return to that market," said Carnovale. "I think many manufacturers and retailers are going to start thinking about how to plan for the inevitable next disruption."